Typical commercial reproduction apparatus include electrostatographic process copier/duplicators or printers, for example. With such reproduction apparatus, pigmented marking particles are utilized to develop an electrostatic latent image of information to be reproduced on a dielectric support member for transfer to a receiver member, or directly onto a receiver member. The receiver member bearing the transferred marking particle developed image is transported through a fuser device where the marking particle image is fixed (fused) to the receiver member, for example, by heat and pressure to form a permanent reproduction.
The marking particles for developing the electrostatic latent image are supplied to the reproduction apparatus development station in a receptacle removably connected to a replenisher supply sump for the development station. U.S. Pat. No. 4,062,385 (issued Dec. 13, 1977, in the names of Katusha et al), shows a marking particle receptacle having a particle-containing portion with a base. The base has an opening facing downward in use with the replenisher supply sump, and a flange extending outward from the opening. A cover is slidably secured to the flange. A receiving apparatus with the development station for the receptacle includes a sump for receiving marking particles through the base of the receptacle when the opening of the receptacle is positioned directly above the sump. The receptacle, with the cover in place over the opening, is positioned beside the sump. The receptacle portion is slid off the cover and over the sump with the flange sliding on a receiving surface that surrounds a sump opening. A web seal, generally of plastic or paper, attached to the underside of the flange around the opening, is folded once and then extends between the cover and flange to a position outside the receptacle where it may be grasped by an operator and removed to release the marking particles into the sump. The web seal is discarded, but the containing portion is moved back over the cover after the receptacle is emptied to prevent the escape of residual marking particles in the marking particle receptacle during removal and further handling in recycling of the receptacle.
In the above structure, the receptacle is locked to the sump by sliding the flange surrounding the base opening of the receptacle into slots in the receiving apparatus. In high speed/high volume reproduction apparatus, it is desirable to provide as large a supply of marking particles as possible to limit the necessity to shut the reproduction apparatus down for resupply of the marking particles. However, it has been found that the size of the receptacle, and thus the amount of marking particles stored for use in the reproduction apparatus, has been limited by the above described structure. That is, the strength of the flange formed with the receptacle base has to be adequate to enable the necessary sliding movement of the receptacle into the supply location of the receiving apparatus. As the size of the formed receptacle increases, the flange tends to become relatively weaker to the point that it can no longer enable the receptacle to reliably slide into the supply location of the receiving apparatus, and may not maintain a proper seal with an associated cover. Therefore, the receptacles have been kept to a reasonable limited size, and thus have to be replaced more often than would otherwise be desired. This decreases reproduction apparatus throughput and efficiency. U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,024 (issued Aug. 13, 1991, in the names of Fukuda et al) shows a separate flange for a marking particle container. However, there is no indication that the container or the flange could be constructed in a manner to optimize the respective functions thereof.